


And After Him

by Music_Boxx



Category: Hollywood Undead (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 20:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5346992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Music_Boxx/pseuds/Music_Boxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things weren't meant to go wrong, but one trip up through the Canadian wilderness in the dead of winter leaves you, Jorel, George, and Jordon staring into the face of death itself. </p><p>Quick oneshot written for school. Little does my teacher know it's a Hollywood Undead fanfiction. ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	And After Him

The whole trip was supposed to be a fun retreat for me and my friends; we never meant for anything to go wrong. We were nuzzled somewhere far north of the Rocky Mountains in a remote part of Canada, the snow coating the ground below us and the air chilling us to the bone. We wanted to enjoy the trip, we wanted to take our minds off things, none of us ever meant for this to happen. I want to tell you this before I start to lose what’s left of me; I want to tell this to you so someone can remember me when I’m gone.

               My friends and I all waited to take this trip since our freshman year in high school, planning everything down to the very last minute detail. We had waited so long for this trip to come, and the day was finally here. It was winter break during our senior year in high school, and we were all going to meet up in this old ski lodge north of the Rocky Mountains and spend the entire break there. I had offered to drive everyone, but each had quickly declined in fear of inconveniencing me, and though I knew I was going to be in for a long and lonely drive, the thought of the coming week kept me excited.

               I drove farther and farther north, the trees growing dense and the air growing far colder than I had expected. I cranked the heat up as far as it would go in an attempt to chase away the chill in my bones and still my chattering teeth. The radio was just barely audible over the heater, but I could hear the static coming through and making the song unintelligible. It was so cold out, I just wanted to get to the cabin already. The ache of loneliness crept over me and I suddenly wished I had someone to keep me company instead of sitting in silence. My grip on the steering wheel tightened as my eyes strained to see through the snow, and the sudden fear of crashing pushed its way into my mind. What would happen if I were to crash? There was no sign of life for miles, I surely wouldn’t be found until the spring, at least. I grit my teeth and shook my head to brush away the thoughts, certain that if I were to entertain the idea too much, it would come true.

   My eyes ached as I struggled to see through the snow blowing at my windshield, the wipers brushing away the rapidly appearing flakes. I thought for a moment maybe I had taken the wrong road, and I wasn’t even near the secluded cabin, but as I drove on I could see small amounts of light dancing across the ground through the storm, lighting a small flicker of hope inside of me. I drove on, silently hoping the lights ahead were coming from what would be my home for the next week. As I drove closer, the lights seemed to grow in intensity, and I could make out shadows dancing through the patches of light. As I pulled up to the front of the cabin, I could hear audible shouts and laughter coming from inside, voices that I knew only belonged to my friends. I got out of my car, rather reluctantly, and shuffled to the trunk to grab for my bags. I was digging through the back of my car when massive arms wrapped around my midsection, lifting me up the ground and twirling me through the air. I let out a call of surprise and terror, splitting the silence that had rested over the area.

   “What are you doing? Help, help!” I shouted, kicking my feet in protest to my captor.

   “Shoot, I didn’t realize that would scare you that bad,” the voice said, gently dropping me back down to the snow coated earth.

   I spun around to look at who had grabbed me, though the rugged voice, almost like sandpaper, had given him away. Behind me stood George Ragan, one of my closest friends. We had meet in first grade when I had had applesauce dumped on me by one of our other friends. He had rushed over to wipe my applesauce covered cheeks when I had started to cry at the other boy’s teasing, and the two of us were nearly inseparable since then.

   “Oh my god, George!” I shouted, slapping his barrel chest as he laughed at my now residing terror. Though my heart was still hammering away behind my ribcage, a laugh bubbled up in my throat and I stifled a giggle, hiding it behind my hand so he couldn’t see the humor in my face.

   “C’mon, you know you love me,” He said, clearly aware of my suppressed laughter. He reached over me, an easy task since he was nearly a foot taller than I was, and snatched away the bags that I was reaching for.

   “What are you doing?” I asked, spinning around to face him as he stepped away with my bags.

   “Well, my lady, I’m bringing your bags in. Is that okay with you?” He teased, his lips curling up in a ridiculous smile.

   “I am perfectly capable of bringing in my own bags,” I retorted, lunging forward to try and grab my things from him, only to fall flat in the snow.

   “Not on my watch,” He sneered, carrying on towards the cabin before us, leaving me to get up and brush the snow off of my pants.

   A moment later, George stepped outside again, followed by two more individuals, backlit by the lights of the cabin. They jogged down the steps and trudged over toward me, kicking up snow as they walked. I watched them come closer, slamming the trunk of my car closed, the sound seeming to carry on for miles.

   “Hey!” The voices shouted, quickening their pace to reach me quicker.

   “We were wondering when you were gonna get here,” One of them, Jordon, said. His face was soft and sort of rounded, and a goofy look always seemed to brighten his features. His eyes were a dark brown, seeming to absorb all of the light that reached them. He was short, almost as small as me, but he was definitely much stronger than he looked, easily able to pick me up without much effort.

   “Well, the trip would have been a lot easier if someone had come with me,” I leered, but they all knew I wasn’t serious, and if anything, I had enjoyed the solitude.

   The final figure, Jorel, a small man with short black hair and large gauges, dropped to his knees, seeming to ignore the freezing snow he was now sitting in. He clasped his hands in front of his chest and gave me a pitiful look, his lip seeming to wobble as he got teary eyed.

   “Oh, my love, won’t you ever forgive me?” He begged, his voice wavering as he spoke, which sent the other guys into a fit of laughter.

   “Dear god, Jorel, get up,” I groaned, rolling my eyes so hard I nearly gave myself a headache. He obediently did so, shaking the snow off of him like a dog shedding itself of water, and wrapped me in a tight, strangling hug. Charlie and George joined in, leaving me at the center of a massive group hug. My face was buried in George’s chest, the smell of his, and my, favorite cologne lulling me into an almost dreamy state. I was reluctant to let go when the group disbanded, but I stepped back from the warmth of the embrace and stared at my three friends.

   “So,” I shrugged, looking around at the dark, sullen scenery, “What’s the plan?” I waited for a response, but quickly realized that no one really had a plan.

   “Ummmm…” Jordon groaned, “We’ve got a fire going inside, and it’s probably too late to actually go out and do anything, so why don’t we just go inside for now?” He suggested, and we all nodded in agreement, glad to head back to the cabin’s warmth.

   I stepped inside and kicked my shoes off, now soaked from standing out in the snow. I made my way to one of the large couches that sat in front of the fireplace and fell back into the soft cushions, the musty smell making me sneeze rapidly. Jordon sat on the floor in front of me, his legs crossed beneath him as he fiddled with something beside him, while Jorel sat down on the smaller loveseat, propping his feet up on the edge of the coffee table. Jordon threw himself sideways, holding his hand up to cover his nose and mouth.

   “Dude, put those things away before you kill someone!” Jordon called out, pretending to gag as he rolled around on the dirty wooden floor.

   “Get up, Jordon,” George chuckled as he walked around the couch and sat down next to me. I looked over and saw that the rest of the couch was open, but still George chose to sit next to me, his skin brushing against my own. He handed me a steaming mug filled nearly to the top with hot chocolate, topped with marshmallows, making it look like a mountain. I gratefully took it, plucking one of the marshmallows off the top with my teeth before taking a sip of the still hot liquid. I recoiled as the drink burnt my lips, pain setting off fireworks in my brain.

   “How hot do you make this stuff?” I asked, turning to see George easily downing the drink.

   “Well, it is called hot chocolate for a reason,” He teased, nudging me gently so I wouldn’t spill my drink. I cringed at the thought of dumping the drink all over my legs, and I tightened my grip on the mug.

   I closed my eyes and revelled in the warmth of the fire, letting it fight away the chill in my bones. I felt a gaze burn into me, making my cheeks flush with embarrassment and my body tense with self-consciousness. I knew who was staring at me, I could easily tell George's gaze from the rest of the guys. Unlike the rest of my friends, his stare was gentle, warm, and incredibly comforting. Though I enjoyed the attention, there was a certain glint in his eye whenever he looked at me that I could never seem to place, almost a sense of longing, of desire, and the thought honestly terrified me. It wasn’t that the feelings weren’t mutual, I had liked the guy since middle school, but it was my own insecurities holding me back from making this something more than a friendship. I was so scared that he didn’t think of me as anything more than a friend, however stupid that sounds, or that even if something more did come out of this, he would realize maybe he didn’t like me as much as he thought he did.

   I internally groaned, willing the depressing thoughts away and opened my eyes to see George quickly look away, his cheeks growing bright with shame, suddenly finding his feet incredibly interesting.I slurped at my hot chocolate noisily, watching Jorel squirm in agitation, and decided to tease him by continuing to slurp at the drink.

   “Oh my god, stop,” He whined, tossing a pillow in my direction, and missing pitifully. The soft pillow instead connected with Jordon’s face, who was still napping on the floor in front of us.

   Jordon jerked awake, flailing his arms and letting out a high pitched scream that even made me jump. “Stay away, stay away from me!” The smaller man shouted, only calming once he realized the thing that had attacked his face was nothing more than a pillow.

   “Yeah, sorry about that, I was aiming for the little snot behind you,” Jorel apologized, sending me a fake glare.

   “Don’t insult such a fair lady!” George defended, reaching forward to grab the pillow Jorel had thrown and propelled it back at him. “You little snot!” He taunted, turning to me and sticking his tongue out with a goofy look on his face.

   “Fight me, dude!” Jorel jumped up, leaping across the floor and crashing into George. The two wrestled for some time, and though George was much taller than Jorel, the smaller man put up a decent fight, though George wound up pinning Jorel to the ground and lightly slapping his face, and Jorel ended up surrendering.

   Jordon and I looked at each other, both confused and slightly humored at the events unfolding before us. The two kept on wrestling until they slammed into the wall, letting out collective groans of distaste.

   “Why didn’t you guys warn us that we were about to hit the wall?” Jorel whined, crossing his arms over his chest in a childish pout. Jordon and I looked from him to each other, giving a nonchalant shrug as a response.

   “I’ve been in here for an hour and I’m already getting cabin fever,” I complained, looking out to see the sun begin to rise on the horizon. “You guys wanna go for a walk?” I suggested, and I saw the eyes of each guy light up in excitement.

   “Duh!” Jordon said, already getting his coat and boots on, George and Jorel in suit. I shook my head with a near silent tsk and prepared myself for the early morning trek, pulling my coat on and wrapping a scarf tightly around my neck before reaching down and tugging on my boots.

   We stepped outside and watched in awe as the sun lit up the landscape, painting the sky a beautiful pink. Jorel and Jordon took off for the woods, sprinting awkwardly through the snow that had piled up to their thighs. George and I trailed behind, chatting casually as we pushed through the freezing fluff. Once underneath the protection of the trees, the snow didn’t seem to reach as high, and walking became much simpler as we strode the path our two friends had made.

   “Can I ask you something?” George asked, his usually gruff voice soft and hesitant. I looked in his direction and saw how nervous he seemed, biting on his lip as he spoke.

   “Go ahead,” I shrugged, kicking up snow as we walked. My previously frozen cheeks grew warm as his hand snagged mine, sending small bolts of lightning across my skin.

   “I was just thinking, and I couldn’t help but wonder… Is this… like friendship or whatever, gonna be anything more than just a friendship?” He asked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly with his free hand. “I think what I’m trying to say is…”

_“HELP US!”_

   George and I snapped our heads in the direction of the noise, pausing for a moment to see if the voice would call out again.

_“GUYS I KNOW YOU’RE OUT THERE. HELP US!”_

   I knew that voice, tainted by the distance and a faint echo. It was Jorel that was calling out for us, his voice strained and sore, as if he had been screaming for hours.

   “We’re coming!” George and I shouted, taking off through the snow to find the source of the trouble. We skittered to a halt as we reached a massive hole in the ground, rimmed by busted pieces of wood. Down below stood Jorel and Jordon, soaking wet, bruised, and shivering, standing in what I could only describe as an abandoned mine shaft. I pinched the bridge of my nose and made an audible groan of disappointment escaping my throat.

   “Stop rolling your eyes and come help us!” Jorel demanded, picking up a small stone and tossing it up at us, pitifully missing as it plopped in the snow several feet behind us. George and I began laughing, but they were cut short as a horrible creek cut through the air, an earsplitting snap following shortly after. George and I plunged through the air, our descent cut off by the cold ground below. The landing knocked the wind straight from my chest, leaving me a gasping mess as the rusted rails that once carried carts filled with coal dug into my chest, a dull throbbing radiating throughout my entire body. I wiggled my fingers and toes to make sure they were still functioning, then slowly began to push myself up to my hands and knees, pits of rock and dirt clinging to my face.

   “Are you two okay?” Jordon asked, genuine concern lacing his voice. The two other guys knelt down next to me and George, curious eyes scanning for any injuries.

   “I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” I grumbled, finding my way to my feet and using Jorel for support. We all looked around, the hole the four of us fell through several feet above our head, and the only path leading deep into the mine. I looked at each guy, nervousness flickering in their eyes before being shoved away by some sort of need to keep their masculine appearance.

   “Looks like the only way is forward,” Jordon pointed out, fiddling with the hem of his shirt awkwardly. I met George’s eyes for a moment, the same thoughts churning through his mind that were going through mine.

   We had to go down.

   Jordon and Jorel led the way, their hands brushing together almost reassuringly. George and I followed, and I let my left hand trail against the wall to lead me, grabbing for George’s hand with my other. And just like that, the darkness swallowed us.

 

**

 

I forgot how long we’ve been lost down here, the silence crushing and the darkness driving me mad. We had arrived in a cave some time ago, but we were desperately lost, no one had any idea what to do, and god, we were hungry.

   Jordon was the first to go, his screams echoing off the cavern walls as he used his dying breaths to curse our existence. But after him, we were still hungry.

   Jorel went next, his pleads for mercy falling on deaf ears. I think he understood that we did what we had to do, but I could still see the pain and betrayal in his eyes. But after him, we were still hungry.

   Finally, it was just me and George. We looked at each other, our lips stained with blood and our teeth littered with strips of our friend’s flesh. I could smell the reek of death coming off his breath, and had I not been surrounded by it for so long, I would have vomited. We stood and watched each other in a light that emanated from somewhere far above, almost begging each other to make the first move and end this sad existence. We were both crying now, the tears leaving small trails down our bloody cheeks.

   “It doesn’t have to end this way,” He mumbled, wringing his hands in anxiety.

   “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, leaning forward and pressing my lips against his. I treasured this moment, knowing it would be the last memory I would ever have with him. I pressed my hands to the side of his face, fighting to keep them steady as I sobbed. With a sharp jerk to the left, I heard his neck snap, along with my heart.

   “I’m so sorry.”

   And after him, I wasn’t hungry anymore.


End file.
